Properties of Aluminum and Carbon Frames?

[westtexas]

I just upgraded to a full carbon bike - carbon frame, fork and bars. The only thing not carbon are the wheels and the seat post. The ride is infinitely better than my aluminum bike with the carbon fork and the carbon seat post/stays. We've got a lot of that chip rock asphalt out here and the cut down on vibration is day versus night. I love it. So your question about every bump being felt that much more on carbon - it's actually the reverse. It's like riding butter and I seriously cannot get enough (good thing cycling is healthier than butter!)

[zoom-zoom]

We've got a lot of that chip rock asphalt out here and the cut down on vibration is day versus night. I love it. So your question about every bump being felt that much more on carbon - it's actually the reverse. It's like riding butter and I seriously cannot get enough (good thing cycling is healthier than butter!)

Yep. My previous bike was alum. with carbon seatpost and fork...and it was still horrible. New bike is all carbon, except for the wheels and handlebars...it's like buttah! Our roads are at least 80% chipseal and misery-inducing on aluminum. On the new frame they feel just fine. They don't suck up my energy or make me want to cut rides short.

[ny biker]

While carbon is smoother than aluminum, you might be able to make the aluminum bike more comfortable by lowering your tire pressure.

[Bethany1]

Update:

I took my bike up to another shop to see if there would be any difference in help. He said that what I was feeling was fairly normal except the vibrating when going downhill. He checked the fork and was thinking the bike was too small. He had me ride it outside in the parking lot to get a better idea of how I rode.

The guy raised my seat almost 4 inches and slid my seat back. I think my LBS had raised the seat and I put it down to get on the bike, but I know they didn't have it THAT high. The guy was really great and showed me how to get on with the seat so high. He still wasn't sure if the bike was the right size but I said the next size up was too big. He said it might help if he extended the handlebars forward some more instead of buying a new bike for now. Nice to know he wasn't out to sell me a new bike when something simple would probably work.

However; just raising the seat and moving it back made a HUGE difference. It didn't feel so wobbly and I seemed to have better control of the bike. He said if I was having problems with it feeling like it was vibrating, bring it back and they'd extend the handlebars for a longer reach.

My LBS doesn't have a much of a parking lot and you have to ride around the neighborhood to see how the bike rides while they wait outside. They really can't see how you ride to adjust to how you sit. They are great, but this store seemed to know their fitting process better.

I also made DH's day as I ordered an Electra Rat Fink cruiser bike while there. He'll get that around the end of next week and he's so excited he can hardly wait. Sigh. The neighborhood is going to think he's nuts.

[goldfinch]

Four inches is a lot! If your seat height is now correct you are going to feel a lot more powerful. At a bike fit session my seat height was just changed by an inch and slid back an inch and it made a substantial difference.

If you end up still uncomfortable I recommend a bike fit. It really helped me.

[Realgone]

I just bought my first carbon bike last weekend and the bike feels way smother than my Specialized Dolce. I only have about 50 miles on it so far and have been dealing with saddle pain issues to fully feel the difference, but I can definitely tell you that wham I fly down my big hills, the bike is super smooth and feels way more stable. The bike also feels much faster and I feel like I am going faster up hills, but I don't have a bike computer on it yet to know for sure.

[Bethany1]

I had changed the saddle down all the way because I couldn't get on the bike w/o nearly falling over. I didn't realize it would make such a big difference but it does. My flexibility still isn't the greatest for getting on a bike. Once he showed me how to get on the bike w/o nearly crashing, this should work much better.